Goodbye Luxo Jr. Hello JLo.

After five years of loyal service, Luxo Jr AKA LCD iMac G4 has retired to a relatives' home in the country. Making way for some serious canoodling with JLo, I mean a brand new 20" widescreen iMac Intel Core 2 Duo!

My eyes are going to need time to readjust to the literal landscape-sized screen! The iMac is screaming out - hang me on a wall as I'm pure Manhattan gallery chic with a dash of Sex in the City by way of 24 and Ugly Betty! Not to overlook Apple's promotional consideration on hit series Heroes.

The proliferation of Universal Binaries and Intel-only applications has considerably eased the transition from PowerPC to Intel chip set. I can't comment on the 'transparency' of the PowerPC migration as my parents bought me a Performa 5200 in 1995. However, I'm seriously impressed with Intel Inside. The responsiveness of this machine affords a glimpse into Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard.

There's quite a chorus of Mac Users bemoaning dead pixels and spurious electrical humming artifacts when the LCD display is dimmed on the larger iMac models. Either these are isolated to specific build batches or I've been particularly lucky; there are no screen issues thus far.

Before I head back to the Apple Discussions support forum. I'm pre-ordering Virtua Fighter 5 (PS3) from Sega.

Behind These Hazel Eyes

American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson is rarely off my iTunes playlist.

The Sunday Times Culture section contained an interview with rising star Bridget Moynahan. Her cinematic debut was in guilty pleasure Coyote Ugly (2000). Bridget's recurring role on Sex and the City, as Natasha, had her vilified by Carrie fans. I found myself 'attracted' to her in last year's entertaining diversion I, Robot (2004). Refreshingly Bridget didn't let her hair down!



Today Sugababes round-off a solid album quartet with Taller In More Ways. Cool cuts include the poignant Follow Me Home, Better, Obsession and Push The Button. Ignore the muted press reviews and savor the dulcet tones of Keisha, Mutya and Heidi. Janet Jackson and TLC would be proud!

Sins of the Stepford Wives

Channel 4's premiere of smash hit US series Desperate Housewives garnered one of the highest ratings in the network's history. On Wednesday evening I tuned in to observe what all the fuss was about.

The impish main theme, composed by longtime Tim Burton collaborator Danny Elfman (drawing on his compositions for The Simpsons and Edward Scissorshands - Ballet de Suburbia springs to mind), introduced the dysfunctional inhabitants of Wisteria Lane. The principal cast, spearheaded by Teri Hatcher (Lois & Clark), provides the requisite eye candy and the sharp script food for the brain!

A darkly compelling cocktail of The Stepford Wives meets Picket Fences and Sex and the City. Desperate Housewives is Twins Peeks for generation net. Can't wait for episode two...